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1.

This is a more than a little misleading. Three of these cases died of multiple gun shot wounds when the older Tasertron TASER® did
not stop them. The remainder all had toxic levels of PCP and / or cocaine in their systems and died more than 15 minutes after they were
subdued with the TASER. These cases are studied in a 1991 report published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol. 36, No. 2, March
1991 pp. 434-448. According to Dr. Robert Stratbucker, the leading medical expert in this field, there is no plausible mechanism that
a low power electric shock like the TASER can lead to a fatality more than 10 minutes after the application of the shock. The fact the
TASER was used to subdue them would not have affected the course of blood toxicology from illegal narcotics that would lead to their
eventual death. To quote Captain Sid Heal of the LA Sheriff’s SWAT Team ‘Does the cock’s crow make the sun rise?’ Two things that
happen at the same time are not necessarily connected.
2.

Actually, the ADVANCED TASER® and AIR TASER® have never been outlawed in any state. There were 7 states that outlawed stun
guns back in the early 1980’s in reaction to a flood of imports. Unfortunately, there was no strong industry advocates to advise legislators
on the safety aspects of stun technology. Since the AIR TASER was introduced in 1995, several states considered bans, including Minnesota and Florida. However, once we briefed legislators on the safety of the weapon and on the AFID tracking system (the revolutionary tracking system that tracks registered users to confetti-like ID tags that are dispersed with every firing), the Minnesota State Senate
Crime Prevention Committee voted unanimously to kill the bill. The Chairman of the Crime Prevention Committee testified that he felt
the public availability of TASERs would save lives by offering a safer, more traceable alternative to conventional firearms. In Florida,
we worked proactively with state legislators to actually help write the regulation which requires that dealers register very weapon sold
using our AFID tracking system. It was a great example of government and industry working together to use technology and regulation
hand-in-hand to help solve potential problems. We continue to work proactively with states such as Hawaii, where the ban on stun
guns for law enforcement was recently lifted, and Michigan, where we anticipate a new bill will be introduced shortly to offer both law
enforcement and citizens access to TASER technology.
3.

This incident involved a regular stun gun, not a TASER®. This incident is one of the reasons why we build a Dataport into the
ADVANCED TASER that records the time and date of every firing -- so that officers will know that their usage patterns can be tracked,
thereby deterring misuse. The microprocessor controlled Dataport makes the ADVANCED TASER the first true smart weapon.
4.

Unfortunately, you can never prove something cannot ever happen. However, we find it interesting that the phrase could lead to death
was outside the quotes (i.e. from the reporter, not the physician). We’ve never seen a medical study, or plausible theory whereby the
output of the TASER weapons can cause a fatal heart arrhythmia.
5.

Actually, several states including California have minimum age requirements. Florida is the only state that requires the dealer to
register the weapon with the manufacturer, and that the weapons discharge serialized ID tags. We are supportive of other states introducing similar legislation to help enforce responsible anti-criminal weapon tracking programs.
6.

The 56% effectiveness data is for the 1970’s era Tasertron TASER (manufactured by a different company), not our ADVANCED
TASER. This is exactly the reason why LAPD upgraded to the ADVANCED TASER in December, 2001. This is like criticizing
Microsoft for bugs in the original Apple operating system. The data’s over 20 years out of date -- and it’s for a competitor! It would
have been more relevant to quote an agency like Seattle, that has used the ADVANCED TASER for over a year with a 94% effectiveness
rate.
7.

The San Diego PD deploys the AIR TASER model 34000, our earlier 7-Watt system. It is exactly this feedback (that the flashlight
shape is awkward to handle) that caused us to design the 18 to 26 Watt ADVANCED TASER to look and handle like a pistol. It makes
the ADVANCED TASER much easier to use. We’re hopeful that San Diego will upgrade to the new ADVANCED TASER for increased
effectiveness and ease of use.